Here’s one of my favorite images processed from the @planetarysociety.bsky.social’s successful LightSail 2 mission:
December 2, 2024 at 8:45 PM
Here’s one of my favorite images processed from the @planetarysociety.bsky.social’s successful LightSail 2 mission:
1000km is a perfectly reasonable diameter for a lightsail if you're brave about it
July 5, 2026 at 8:13 AM
1000km is a perfectly reasonable diameter for a lightsail if you're brave about it
NEA Scout failed, ACS3 didn't deploy, LightSail-1 never sailed and LightSail-2 barely raised its orbit while tumbling.
What's next for solar sails? Are there any other missions planned?
What's next for solar sails? Are there any other missions planned?
April 23, 2025 at 4:38 PM
NEA Scout failed, ACS3 didn't deploy, LightSail-1 never sailed and LightSail-2 barely raised its orbit while tumbling.
What's next for solar sails? Are there any other missions planned?
What's next for solar sails? Are there any other missions planned?
Interstellar vehicles with combined lightsail and antimatter-catalyzed fusion drives complete the braking burn into orbit of a distant exoplanet. Each is 3.6 km long.
#space #art by HLHoffmann
www.deviantart.com/hlhoffmann/a...
#space #art by HLHoffmann
www.deviantart.com/hlhoffmann/a...
June 2, 2026 at 12:47 AM
Interstellar vehicles with combined lightsail and antimatter-catalyzed fusion drives complete the braking burn into orbit of a distant exoplanet. Each is 3.6 km long.
#space #art by HLHoffmann
www.deviantart.com/hlhoffmann/a...
#space #art by HLHoffmann
www.deviantart.com/hlhoffmann/a...
Using the same laser that accelerates a lightsail to cool it:
arxiv.org/pdf/2206.05383
Exploiting the fluorescence of a ytterbium-doped layer atop the lightsail can extract more heat than simple blackbody radiation, allowing the sail to handle higher intensities and go faster.
arxiv.org/pdf/2206.05383
Exploiting the fluorescence of a ytterbium-doped layer atop the lightsail can extract more heat than simple blackbody radiation, allowing the sail to handle higher intensities and go faster.
October 28, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Using the same laser that accelerates a lightsail to cool it:
arxiv.org/pdf/2206.05383
Exploiting the fluorescence of a ytterbium-doped layer atop the lightsail can extract more heat than simple blackbody radiation, allowing the sail to handle higher intensities and go faster.
arxiv.org/pdf/2206.05383
Exploiting the fluorescence of a ytterbium-doped layer atop the lightsail can extract more heat than simple blackbody radiation, allowing the sail to handle higher intensities and go faster.
Early tests by NASA to develop a laser pushed lightsail ship were crude
Me, magically making everyone be normal and not weird in my replies ✨
August 30, 2026 at 10:01 AM
Early tests by NASA to develop a laser pushed lightsail ship were crude
"The greater lightsail evolved to survive beneath the endless basket-bush marshes of its homeworld, surviving almost entirely on substances produced by the plants' bioluminescent nectaries"/
April 29, 2025 at 3:56 PM
"The greater lightsail evolved to survive beneath the endless basket-bush marshes of its homeworld, surviving almost entirely on substances produced by the plants' bioluminescent nectaries"/
Earth. The fisheye view is centered in the Pacific off of the coast of Western Mexico and Southern California. Taken by the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 in 2019.
flic.kr/p/2gGLdEi
flic.kr/p/2gGLdEi
January 24, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Earth. The fisheye view is centered in the Pacific off of the coast of Western Mexico and Southern California. Taken by the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 in 2019.
flic.kr/p/2gGLdEi
flic.kr/p/2gGLdEi
Interesting slides from a Kevin Parkin presentation on beamed energy rockets, Breakthrough Starshot's 0.2C lightsail and AI inference engines:
youtu.be/0CXVqXDdpdU
youtu.be/0CXVqXDdpdU
July 11, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Interesting slides from a Kevin Parkin presentation on beamed energy rockets, Breakthrough Starshot's 0.2C lightsail and AI inference engines:
youtu.be/0CXVqXDdpdU
youtu.be/0CXVqXDdpdU
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality https://gizmodo.com/caltechs-lightsail-experiment-brings-interstellar-travel-closer-to-reality-2000557508
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality
Powered by laser light, this tiny sail lays the groundwork for future advances in lightsail technology and the potential for interstellar propulsion.
gizmodo.com
January 31, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality https://gizmodo.com/caltechs-lightsail-experiment-brings-interstellar-travel-closer-to-reality-2000557508
A swarm of lightsail probes launched from the Moon ride a gigantic laser beam up to interstellar velocity.
The lunar surface is great because it allows the use of lasers without impedance or distortion.
#space #art by Matija Tomšić.
www.artstation.com/artwork/4NGdvq
The lunar surface is great because it allows the use of lasers without impedance or distortion.
#space #art by Matija Tomšić.
www.artstation.com/artwork/4NGdvq
March 9, 2026 at 12:49 AM
A swarm of lightsail probes launched from the Moon ride a gigantic laser beam up to interstellar velocity.
The lunar surface is great because it allows the use of lasers without impedance or distortion.
#space #art by Matija Tomšić.
www.artstation.com/artwork/4NGdvq
The lunar surface is great because it allows the use of lasers without impedance or distortion.
#space #art by Matija Tomšić.
www.artstation.com/artwork/4NGdvq
If your target velocity for an interstellar probe is 0.2C, then the optimal Isp is 3,800,000s, better delivered by a laser-electric drive than a direct laser-propelled lightsail:
www.geoffreylandis.com/Laser_ion.htp
This continues to be true up to about 0.5C.
www.geoffreylandis.com/Laser_ion.htp
This continues to be true up to about 0.5C.
March 12, 2025 at 7:16 PM
If your target velocity for an interstellar probe is 0.2C, then the optimal Isp is 3,800,000s, better delivered by a laser-electric drive than a direct laser-propelled lightsail:
www.geoffreylandis.com/Laser_ion.htp
This continues to be true up to about 0.5C.
www.geoffreylandis.com/Laser_ion.htp
This continues to be true up to about 0.5C.
New ModPo video, added today to ModPoPLUS—a discussion (in Montreal) of Lissa Wolsak's "lightsail": www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Vl...
On Lissa Wolsak's lightsail
YouTube video by ModPo
www.youtube.com
February 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM
New ModPo video, added today to ModPoPLUS—a discussion (in Montreal) of Lissa Wolsak's "lightsail": www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Vl...
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality https://gizmodo.com/caltechs-lightsail-experiment-brings-interstellar-travel-closer-to-reality-2000557508
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality
Powered by laser light, this tiny sail lays the groundwork for future advances in lightsail technology and the potential for interstellar propulsion.
gizmodo.com
February 2, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality https://gizmodo.com/caltechs-lightsail-experiment-brings-interstellar-travel-closer-to-reality-2000557508
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality gizmodo.com/caltechs-lig...
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality
Powered by laser light, this tiny sail lays the groundwork for future advances in lightsail technology and the potential for interstellar propulsion.
gizmodo.com
February 2, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality gizmodo.com/caltechs-lig...
ElphabAWS: “and nothings going to bring [my bill] dowwwwwwn”
CFOlinda: “I hope you’re haaaaappppy”
dev team: “look at this bill, what’s lightsail?”
CFOlinda: “I hope you’re haaaaappppy”
dev team: “look at this bill, what’s lightsail?”
November 30, 2024 at 6:38 PM
ElphabAWS: “and nothings going to bring [my bill] dowwwwwwn”
CFOlinda: “I hope you’re haaaaappppy”
dev team: “look at this bill, what’s lightsail?”
CFOlinda: “I hope you’re haaaaappppy”
dev team: “look at this bill, what’s lightsail?”
David Kipping's TARS:
-Dive into the Sun
-Install a large graphene lightsail-tether
-Spend nearly a year spinning up
...just to throw a phone-sized payload at 10-40 km/s
This concept is just a curiosity and has no potential for interstellar missions.
arxiv.org/pdf/2507.17615
-Dive into the Sun
-Install a large graphene lightsail-tether
-Spend nearly a year spinning up
...just to throw a phone-sized payload at 10-40 km/s
This concept is just a curiosity and has no potential for interstellar missions.
arxiv.org/pdf/2507.17615
January 26, 2026 at 3:28 AM
David Kipping's TARS:
-Dive into the Sun
-Install a large graphene lightsail-tether
-Spend nearly a year spinning up
...just to throw a phone-sized payload at 10-40 km/s
This concept is just a curiosity and has no potential for interstellar missions.
arxiv.org/pdf/2507.17615
-Dive into the Sun
-Install a large graphene lightsail-tether
-Spend nearly a year spinning up
...just to throw a phone-sized payload at 10-40 km/s
This concept is just a curiosity and has no potential for interstellar missions.
arxiv.org/pdf/2507.17615
A photonic laser thruster demonstration at the 1.1 mN level:
youtu.be/QICCrlmBjvY
A laser beam is recycled between a lightsail and precisely aligned mirrors to produce far more thrust per watt than you'd expect from a single reflection. Can it work over long distances?
youtu.be/QICCrlmBjvY
A laser beam is recycled between a lightsail and precisely aligned mirrors to produce far more thrust per watt than you'd expect from a single reflection. Can it work over long distances?
October 16, 2025 at 9:52 AM
A photonic laser thruster demonstration at the 1.1 mN level:
youtu.be/QICCrlmBjvY
A laser beam is recycled between a lightsail and precisely aligned mirrors to produce far more thrust per watt than you'd expect from a single reflection. Can it work over long distances?
youtu.be/QICCrlmBjvY
A laser beam is recycled between a lightsail and precisely aligned mirrors to produce far more thrust per watt than you'd expect from a single reflection. Can it work over long distances?
Lightsail space tech gets tailwind from Caltech breakthrough
Lightsail space tech gets tailwind from Caltech breakthrough
Sci-fi interstellar travel gets another tiny push
Centuries after Western explorers used sail power to discover a world hitherto unknown to them — although well known to people who already lived there — science fiction writers and engineers have…
dlvr.it
February 3, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Lightsail space tech gets tailwind from Caltech breakthrough
Wondering if I should move my spot instances to lightsail... seems nice
September 13, 2023 at 3:24 PM
Wondering if I should move my spot instances to lightsail... seems nice
🚀 Lightsails for Space Travel
New research shows how lightsails, thin membranes propelled by lasers, can be optimised for space exploration.
These sails could dramatically speed up interstellar travel.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#SpaceExploration #SciComm 🧪 🔭
New research shows how lightsails, thin membranes propelled by lasers, can be optimised for space exploration.
These sails could dramatically speed up interstellar travel.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#SpaceExploration #SciComm 🧪 🔭
Direct radiation pressure measurements for lightsail membranes - Nature Photonics
Simultaneous measurements of the optical force and power exerted by a collimated laser beam on a 50-nm-thick silicon nitride lightsail membrane suspended by compliant micromechanical springs quantify ...
www.nature.com
February 3, 2025 at 9:24 AM
🚀 Lightsails for Space Travel
New research shows how lightsails, thin membranes propelled by lasers, can be optimised for space exploration.
These sails could dramatically speed up interstellar travel.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#SpaceExploration #SciComm 🧪 🔭
New research shows how lightsails, thin membranes propelled by lasers, can be optimised for space exploration.
These sails could dramatically speed up interstellar travel.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#SpaceExploration #SciComm 🧪 🔭
#NASA #Lightsail #Caltech #Interstellar #Planetary #UAP #UFO #Propulsion #Exoplanets #Nanoprobes #nanoFET #ProjectDragonfly #Terrestrial #ProximaCentauri
Caltech’s Lightsail experiment brings interstellar travel closer to reality
⏬ Bluesky 'bite-sized' article thread (3 min) with extra links 📖 🍿 🔊
Caltech’s Lightsail experiment brings interstellar travel closer to reality
⏬ Bluesky 'bite-sized' article thread (3 min) with extra links 📖 🍿 🔊
Caltech’s Lightsail Experiment Brings Interstellar Travel Closer to Reality
Powered by laser light, this tiny sail lays the groundwork for future advances in lightsail technology and the potential for interstellar propulsion.
gizmodo.com
February 1, 2025 at 2:54 AM
#NASA #Lightsail #Caltech #Interstellar #Planetary #UAP #UFO #Propulsion #Exoplanets #Nanoprobes #nanoFET #ProjectDragonfly #Terrestrial #ProximaCentauri
Caltech’s Lightsail experiment brings interstellar travel closer to reality
⏬ Bluesky 'bite-sized' article thread (3 min) with extra links 📖 🍿 🔊
Caltech’s Lightsail experiment brings interstellar travel closer to reality
⏬ Bluesky 'bite-sized' article thread (3 min) with extra links 📖 🍿 🔊
An excellent overview of laser-propelled lightsail propulsion and how really fast interplanetary trajectories are possible at 100 kW/g beam power density:
arxiv.org/pdf/2107.09121
Sail materials like Boron Nitride allow greater power to be focused on lighter sails, for more dV.
arxiv.org/pdf/2107.09121
Sail materials like Boron Nitride allow greater power to be focused on lighter sails, for more dV.
May 18, 2026 at 11:33 PM
An excellent overview of laser-propelled lightsail propulsion and how really fast interplanetary trajectories are possible at 100 kW/g beam power density:
arxiv.org/pdf/2107.09121
Sail materials like Boron Nitride allow greater power to be focused on lighter sails, for more dV.
arxiv.org/pdf/2107.09121
Sail materials like Boron Nitride allow greater power to be focused on lighter sails, for more dV.
Designing, fabricating and studying a Si3N4 photonic crystal for a Breakthrough Starshot lightsail, coated with TiO2 to enhance its near-infrared reflectance:
opg.optica.org/ome/fulltext...
On the opposite face, PDMS polymer is layered to increase long IR emissivity (helping cooling).
opg.optica.org/ome/fulltext...
On the opposite face, PDMS polymer is layered to increase long IR emissivity (helping cooling).
September 6, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Designing, fabricating and studying a Si3N4 photonic crystal for a Breakthrough Starshot lightsail, coated with TiO2 to enhance its near-infrared reflectance:
opg.optica.org/ome/fulltext...
On the opposite face, PDMS polymer is layered to increase long IR emissivity (helping cooling).
opg.optica.org/ome/fulltext...
On the opposite face, PDMS polymer is layered to increase long IR emissivity (helping cooling).